Issue Papers

Transcript: Quds Day address from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad

- August 17, 2012

Below is a transcript of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks during a conference calling for the Palestinian reclamation of Jerusalem on "Quds Day,” an annual Iranian holiday that is commemorated on the last Friday of Ramadan. Quds is Jerusalem’s Arabic name. The text can be found at Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's website:

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President Ahmadinejad has underscored the need for a united global front to deal with ‘the inhumane’ hegemony of Zionism, embodied in Zionist regime.“The Zionist regime is both the symbol of Zionism in the world and a tool to reinforce the dominance of arrogant powers in the region and across the globe,” A glance at the present situation in the world, particularly in the Muslim and regional states such as Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Syria and Turkey, shows that all nations are affected by the arrogant system’s plots, added the president, emphasizing that the existing form of global management has failed humanity and its principles.President stated that more than 1,200 billion dollars are annually spent in the world to build weapons and stressed that the use of weapons is tantamount to crime, occupation, killing and bullying.Dr.Ahmadinejad said that a ‘dreadful Zionist current’ has been managing the key international affairs over the past 400 years and “behind the scene of the world’s main powers, media, monetary and banking centers.”He noted that people around the world have the right to enjoy justice, respect and freedom with no discrimination and exception, urging all freedom-seeking and justice-seeking nations to adopt a measure to rout the epitome of the Zionist hegemony with the final purpose of establishing justice and freedom across the globe.President further warned against the enemies’ plots to cause religious and ethnic clashes among Muslims and reiterated that there are no hostilities among Muslim nations per se.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Western powers are trying to take advantage of recent developments in the Middle East.

President Ahmadinejad said the United States and its Western allies want to sow discord among Muslims in the region due to "an unjustified" support for Zionist regime.

President said that it was shameful that the presidential candidates of a country with a population of over 300 million felt they had to meet top Zionist regime officials to win the elections.

He also pointed to the presence of the NATO forces in the Middle East, stating that the coalition has never taken a step towards ensuring freedom and justice.

“NATO has never brought freedom and justice anywhere,” Dr.Ahmadinejad added.